It’s a strange mixed bag of pop and metal this week.
THE BEST:
‘my future’ – Billie Eilish
Is Billie Eilish about to go in a soul direction? Her delicate vocals sound entrancing over these pillowy chords. I could have enjoyed
the track without the funky beat change-up, but the song is all the better for it.
‘I Know the End’ – Phoebe Bridgers
I’ve been seeing the name Phoebe Bridgers floating around
the blogosphere for some time now, so I decided to check her out. ‘I Know The End’ is a pop rock epic about coming to terms with death. I could tell that it
was building up to something, but I didn’t expect the crescendo to be quite so
satisfying. The lyrical references to alien spaceships and haunted houses are also enjoyably wacky.
‘Fallen Torches’ – Mastodon
I can’t remember the last time metal band Mastodon sounded
this heavy and this dissonant. That riff at the end is so thrillingly atonal that
it will make your toes curl. The band are planning to release a new album this year.
‘Another World’ – Gojira
The last time French metal band Gojira released new music was back in 2016. This one-off single tells the story of humans moving to another planet - only to destroy that planet too. The hammer-tapped riff sounds like an amalgam of previous Gojira riffs, but it’s enjoyable
nonetheless. I particularly like the washed out melancholy passage at the end. The animated video that accompanies the track fits really well too.
THE WORST:
‘Punani’ – 6IX9INE
This new 6IX9INE track is seriously weak. I wasn’t expecting poetry from a track called ‘Punani’, but I expected more than this throwaway garbage.
‘Sum Bout U’ – 645AR ft. FKA Twigs
These vocals have been pitched up so high that they make
Alvin and the Chipmunks sound like Johnny Cash. The dude has his own style and
he’s done well to land a feature from Twigs - but it’s definitely not for me.